Combing machine



J. W. NASMITH COMBING MACHINE Sept. 10, 1940.

Filed Sept. 21, 1938 J Hi5 (If 02mg:-

Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES- 2,214,341 C'OMBING MACHINE John William Nasmith, Heaton Mersey, Manchester, England Application September 21, 1938, Serial No. 230,973 In Great Britain December 4, 1937 1 Claim.

The invention relates to improvements in combing machines for textile fibres, such machines being of the general rectilinear type in which detaching means are employed for the detaching of a tuft of fibres in the combing operation to pass the same forward to be pieced to an already combed fleece returned for the purpose.

In machines of this type a detaching nip is formed by two rotating members. In one formsee for example the specification of British Letters Patent No. 339,301 and also the specifications of British Letters Patent No. 344,102 and 345,- 241 all granted to mea detaching roller makes intermittent nip contact with the usual combing cylinder segment, the combing cylinder and the detaching roller thus forming a detaching roller pair during such nip contact.

Whilst the combing cylinder is positively driven, the roller is in common practice rotated by friction only, being in fact merely a form of rotary weighting means to press the fibres upon the cylinder segment during the detaching, and in consequence this roller fails to keep pace with the driven cylinder segment, due partly to friction and partly to the intervening fibres, which have to be drawn through the top comb against considerable resistance. When the intervening fibre tuft is light the lag of the roller may be negligible, but its importance increases rapidly with the thickness of such tuft, which if too thick eventually stops the revolution of the roller altogether. The usual weight on the ends of the roller must be sufiicient (1) to overcome the friction in the bearings and (2) to overcome the resistance of the fibres.

The present invention is directed to the provision of means whereby the faults above indicated may be corrected, and for this purpose according to the invention in a combing machine of the type referred to means are provided for imparting a positive drive from the combing cylinder shaft to the detaching roller shaft, the transmission means maintaining driving engagement between the shafts at all positions of the detaching roller in relation to the-cylinder.

The invention will now be fully described with reference to the annexed drawing, which is a diagrammatic showing of a combing machine cylinder with its co-operating detaching roller, with means for transmitting the drive of the cylinder shaft to the roller shaft.

It will be assumed for purposes of explanation that the detaching roller movement of Brit- 0 ish Patent Specification No. 339,301 is adopted,

that is to say the detaching roller D of that specification is raised from the combing cylinder whilst the combing needles pass, and is dropped upon the combing cylinder segment S of that specificationfor the actual detaching, being then again raised. These parts are shown in the drawing annexed hereto, the needles being indicated by N. According to the form of this present invention now being described, there is fitted upon the shaft of the detaching roller D a spur pinion, indicated in the drawing by its pitch line at I, which meshes with the teeth of a spur wheel keyed upon the shaft 2 of the combing cylinder. This spur wheel is indicated by arcs showing various pitch lines thereof, and the form and operation of the said Wheel will now be explained.

As illustrated, the combing cylinder segment S and the detaching roller D are in nip contact and at commencement of detaching, the combing cylinder rotating in the direction shown by the arrow. The pitch line of that part of the spur wheel is indicated by A, and the centre from which are A is struck is the centre of rotation of the combing cylinder shaft 2. When the spur teeth of are A arrive at the end of such indicated arc the teeth of the pinion of the detaching roller D mesh with the teeth of the spur wheel formed upon the are 13 which is struck from a centre indicated by b As a result the pitch line of this are B rises gradually in relation to that of the previous are A and the teeth follow the pitch line of the pinion of the detaching roller, as the latter is lifted to avoid the advancing combing needles N, this said arc B constituting a transition arc. Continued rotation of the comb-ing cylinder brings teeth upon a further arc C into mesh with the now raised detaching roller pinion, this are being struck from the centre of rotation of the cylinder shaft but on a sufficiently greater radius than that of the are A. E is a further transition arc struck from the centre marked 6 and during engagement of the spur teeth of this are with the teeth of the detaching roller pinion the detaching roller is lowered, the form of the arc E and its teeth permitting this until the cylinder again arrives at the position shown in the drawing.

By this construction the spur wheel and pinion mesh at all times and at all positions of the detaching roller in relation to the combing cylinder, the transition of the driving engagement of the spur wheel and the pinion upon the shaft of roller D between the limits of bodily movement of the latter being smooth and gradual.

I claim; In a textile combing machine of the recti- 5 linear type, a driven combing cylinder, a bodily movable detaching roller co-acting with a segment of the said cylinder to make intermittent contact with such segment, a spur wheel upon the combing cylinder shaft and a spur pinion upon the detaching roller shaft, the spur wheel having varied pitch lines and the said wheel and the spur pinion continuing in mesh at all po- 5 sitions of the bodily movable detaching roller.

JOHN WILLIAM NASMI'IH. 

